5 And A Beagle

"Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." John Lennon

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Spa Day for the Beagle

Saturday was 'grooming day' for Miles. He's not a big fan of the occasion. I don't know how anyone else's beagle is when it comes to encounters with water, but Miles is most certainly NOT a fan.

Miles LOVES to play fetch. He'll chase after a tennis ball to the point of exhaustion. Nothing will deter him from getting the ball and bringing it back to his playmate for another go 'round. The ball's up in the garden area - no sweat, leap the 3 foot wall, get into the garden, suss out the ball and jump back into the yard for more fun. The ball's stuck in the prickly juniper shrub in said garden - again, no sweat. Just jump the wall, burrow into the shrub, prickles be damned, get the ball and jump out of the shrub, down from the wall and through the yard for more fun. But should the ball land anywhere near the sprinkler, forget it, game over. He'll slink away from his much desired tennis ball with his tail between his legs. We've taken him to the local doggie park at Ambelside beach and he'll romp around and fetch (on leash, he's a beagle after all) and have a grand old time. But again, if the ball goes into the ocean - game over. He wants that tennis ball so badly, but there is just NO WAY he'll get wet to get it.

Back when Miles was skunked the second time, we tried the tomato juice bath/rinse/torture. He tried desperately to climb out of the bathtub and in the end, although the odour was slightly neutralized, the bathroom looked like a major crime scene. Splatters of tomato red everywhere. One sunny, hot summer day, we gave Miles a bath in the backyard. All I can say is it's a good thing it was a sunny, hot summer day as we all ended up soaked.

I don't know what methods they use, how many it takes to hold him down and how wet they get, but after a session at the groomers Miles, who usually looks a little stressed at the end of it all, comes out with a lovely, clean coat - the white fur glowing.

Most days, Miles reminds me of Pig Pen from the Peanuts cartoon. Every move he makes leaves a 'cloud' of fur, but after grooming day there's a short reprieve.

It's only a very short reprieve however. Here are the completed smockies and I'm sure, woven in there with angora is a little bit of beagle.